* American and Japanese Nobel laureates in medicine will give keynote speeches to kick-off Skoltech’s biomedical research centers

Participants from Russia, The United States, Holland and Japan will take part in the inaugural “Towards Therapies of the Future” conference and kick-off the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology’s (Skoltech) Centers for Research, Education and Innovation (CREIs) for Stem Cell Research and Innovative Biomedical Therapies (RNAi Therapeutics & Infectious Diseases). World-class leaders in these fields will report on recent and future developments and discuss their impact on future healthcare.

The keynote speakers for the conference are Nobel Laureates Phillip Sharp (1993) and Shinya Yamanaka (2012), along with presentations from world leading scientists in Stem Cells, RNAi and Infectious Diseases. The conference will provide an opportunity to explore the scope and the science of Skoltech’s biomedical centers, led by professors Anton Berns and Victor Kotelianski.

Expert participants will discuss opportunities for relevant and high-potential research in the Russian and international context and to provide an occasion for participants to share their scientific insights. They will address groundbreaking science which, for example, transforms simple skin cells into all-purpose “magic” stem cells. Such stem cells could help treat head and spine injuries, various types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and immune system malfunctions – and ultimately save millions of lives. Also on the agenda: RNA therapy’s potential for revolutionizing the treatment of complex diseases by “silencing” harmful genes.

The Nobel laureates are also slated to evaluate dozens of Skoltech students’ tech projects. Using poster presentations, the young Russian researchers will have a rare chance to receive recognition from the brightest minds on the planet.

Professor Yamanaka has recently pointed out the pressing need for international cooperation: “I hope that many Russian researchers would contribute to the research of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS), help develop the technology, and bring iPS cell-based therapies to the bedside as quickly as possible.”

For more information on schedule and transportation to Skolkovo Innovation Center’s Hypercube please visit this page:

* The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in 2011 in collaboration with MIT, Skoltech educates global leaders in innovation, advance scientific knowledge, and foster new technologies to address critical issues facing Russia and the world. Applying international research and educational models, the university integrates the best Russian scientific traditions with twenty-first century entrepreneurship and innovation.